Crashing
by momoli
Summary: Gildarts and a female member of Fairy Tail have been having a love affair for years, but waiting for him to return as years pass can become too much, even for an S-Class mage. Will Gildarts let her go, just like the rest, or will he put his pride aside to save what could be the love of a lifetime? And why is her best friend, Cana, so uncomfortable about their relationship?
1. Alana Belmore

"Gildarts, we can't keep doing this.." Alana moaned as the orange haired man's lips made their way down the side of her neck. He bit lightly on her shoulder, making her shiver.  
"Sure we can, Love," he said between kisses, "there isn't any reason why we cant."

His hand slid down to the button of her jeans, undoing them with ease, as he did so many times before. His lips travelled slowly down, following his fingers as they unzipped the pants zipper. He listened to her labored breathing; he lived for the sound of his name coming from her lips in a breathless frenzy. It was the one thing he looked forward to most when he came home from a mission. Her voice was beautiful, her face and body were those of a goddess.  
Alana Belmore, the Wind Magic Mage of Fairy Tail: his lover of the past seven years.

They first met when she was just 18, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her, despite their age difference. And despite the age difference, she still fell for him. He never understood why, because a woman like that deserved a beautiful man to match. She was an average 5'6, with flowing black hair and startling green eyes. She was thin, yet curvy, with dainty features, but not to be underestimated, as she was powerful. Like him, she also worked alone, as an S-class wizard, but every time he returned to the guild, no matter how much time had passed, she would be there, waiting for him. He would treat her like his queen, and then he would leave again, because no matter how he ever felt about someone, his heart was still always set on working.  
But when he was with Alana, he was all her's.

He inched her pants down, pulling them off her, tossing them aside. He looked at her, lying in his bed with nothing left on except some black lace underwear. She blushed, going to cover her breasts, but Gildarts took her hands and held them above her, shaking his head.  
"You aren't about to hide that beautiful body of yours from me.." his eyes looked her over greedily, and he held both her wrists in one hand as he brought his other down in between her legs. He could feel the heat coming from her, and it turned him on even further. He traced his finger down what he knew without looking was the outside of her folds, feeling how wet she got for him through her panties. He stared into her eyes as he watched her blush deeper, and wondered how after all these years he could still do that to such an incredible woman.  
He pulled aside the covering of her womanhood and teased her with the tips of his fingers, causing her to whimper ever so slightly, which caused him to bite his own lip. He would love to just ravish her after not being with her for so long, but toying with her a little made everything that much better in the end.  
He leaned in, kissing her deeply, and she bit his bottom lip; gently, at first, but harder when he pushed a finger inside her.  
She moaned into his lips longingly, and another finger made its way inside of her, followed soon by a third, and his name escaped her lips, breathlessly, as he encircled her nipple with his lips.  
He removed his fingers from her, unable to stop himself from licking them clean, missing her taste. He let go of her wrists, and her hands flew to his pants, immediately yanking them off of him and onto the floor, his underwear following. His cock was hard, and Alana wasted no time, licking the shaft before putting the entire thing in her mouth.  
Gildarts gasped as he felt his tip hit the back of her throat, and he couldn't stop his eyes from rolling back from pleasure. He looked down at the most beautiful woman, giving him pleasure like no one ever had. The sight blew his mind, and she looked up at him passionately.  
He felt so alive in her presence, as if he wasn't some old man who had nothing to live for except constantly working and making a name for himself. He felt young all over again every time her eyes sparkled in his direction.  
He took her mouth off of his swollen member, bringing her up to kiss him, before laying her down again. She put her arms around his neck as he steadied himself between her legs, her hot core tight from waiting for him while years passed by. He entered her, slowly, looking at her, the most beautiful girl in the world. She was beautiful, and she was his. Her genuinely caring eyes made it harder every time to leave, though he did, and dreamt of them every night.

That night, though, he didn't have to dream, as he got to stare into them as they made love all night long.


	2. If That's What You Want

Gildarts awoke the next morning feeling peaceful and well-rested. A night with Alana was much-needed; he never slept as well as he did after spending a night making love to her beautiful body. He would do it every night, if missions weren't his first love.  
Unfortunately for him, not everyone felt the same way.

Sitting up in bed, he noticed Alana, already up, sitting across from him on the bed. Her deep green eyes held a look of sadness, and Gildarts went to put his hand on hers, worried.  
She took her hand away, leaving him confused.  
"Alana..?"  
She sighed deeply, and sat for a moment silently before speaking.  
"Gildarts, I can't do this anymore."

The older man knew he must not have heard her correctly, and asked her to repeat herself. She couldn't even look at him as she told him they were over.  
"Then why even bother with me last night?" He questioned fiercely, and she shrugged.  
"It's not that I don't want you, Gil.. I just can't play this waiting game anymore."  
"Waiting game?" He exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about, Alana?"  
She gulped, nervous, but she already knee the words to say. She had this moment planned for days.  
"Always waiting for you to come home from your missions, for up to years at a time.. do you think I enjoy wondering if you'll even come home half the time? If you're even still alive?"  
"That's bullshit. You go on missions too!" His eyebrows were furrowed, now angry with what was going on. How dare she act like all she did was sit at home and wait for him to come home! She was an S-Class mage, going out on difficult missions herself, making a living for herself just as he was. He shook his head angrily. "You know that's bullshit."  
"It's not bullshit, Gildarts!" She said finally, looking up at him earnestly. "I'm always here waiting when you get home, aren't I?"  
"After you're done with your own missions!"  
"I'm twenty-five, we've been playing this game with each other for seven years.."  
"What _game_ are you even talking about?" He threw up his arms. "None of this is a game to me!"  
"I'm sick of just being the girl you make your rounds to when you're done having your fun out on the road." she bit her lip. She knew this wasn't going to go well, but she wished Gildarts would just give up already. Pretending like she didn't want to be with him anymore was draining her.  
He jumped up out of the bed at this, absolutely outraged. "Are you out of your mind!? You aren't!"  
She breathed in deeply. "After seven years, I deserve commitment. What we're doing.. this isn't fair to me."

Gildarts turned away, getting dressed in a rush.  
"Fine then. If that's what you want."  
And he broke the door completely down on his way out.  
Alana burst into tears, her heart shattered into a million pieces. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with Gildarts.. it was the entire opposite, actually. She loved him more than she knew was possible. He had shown her strength and beauty within herself she never would have found alone. She never wanted to let him go, but she had to. At twenty-five, Alana needed more than someone she would see once a year. She wanted a real commitment, for the man she loved to actually, finally say those three words to her..  
Curling back under his blankets, she breathed his scent in deeply, never wanting it to escape her. She knew it was the last she'd ever have of him.

She didn't leave his bed until Mirajane found her, three days later.  
Mira immediately put two-and-two together, and suddenly it all made sense then why Gildarts took that 100-year quest.  
She knew it'd be a while until they saw the same Alana they once knew again.


	3. The New Beginning

Months passed before everyone saw the Alana they knew and loved, but she was different now. She had fallen into a dark place for some time, but seemed to come out of it completely different; a little colder, slightly more dark and mysterious, instead of the calm, sweet, mage everyone grew up with.  
Mirajane, her friend of quite some time, helped her heal the best way she knew how: taking her shopping.  
She wasn't too fond of the less conservative clothes Alana opted for, as they both typically dressed rather reserved, but Alana needed change. She needed to collect and find herself, by taking a leap outside of her comfort zone. And so they when they were finished shopping, she had replenished her wardrobe with low-cut tops and tight pants. She felt like she was really 25, like a girl who could let loose and have a good time. And that she did, later that night with Cana Alberona, her best friend of the past five years.

At first when they met, she and Cana did anything but get along. They were similar to Erza and Mirajane in rivalry, but there was true distaste for one another. But, one day, after Gildarts left on a mission, Cana found her crying by the river, and approached her, concerned for her guildmate. Alana told her how she was interested in Gildarts, how she and the older man really hit it off, but she was worried about him being with other women while he was away. Cana assured her Gildarts seemed like a very honest man, but told her he was too old for her, and she should move on. They had a few laughs about it, Cana bought her a drink later that night, and they were best friends ever since. She never did let Gildarts' age go, and always made it a point to tell Alana he was old enough to be their father, and so Alana kept quiet about her relationship with the man around her.  
This night, it wasn't difficult at all, because she pushed that man as far out of her mind as possible while pounding drinks down with the card magic mage next to her. She had spent the last six months isolating herself, drowning in her own misery alone, and now she was ready to come back out as a new person.  
Cana was just happy her best friend was feeling better. She knew how much Alana cared for Gildarts, even though her friend wouldn't talk about the man often.  
At first, she became friends with the girl in hopes of finding out more about her father, but what began as a fake friendship blossomed into the greatest relationship she ever had with someone aside from her mother.  
So, if getting this raven-haired girl utterly wasted was going to help, Cana was more than willing to assist.

The whole guild was having a huge party honoring new recruits, and so everyone was having a great time, all drinking together. Near the end of the night, Alana, the drunkest one at the party, turned to Cana, who was almost just as wasted as she.  
"Let's cut my hair."  
Cana's eyes opened wide. "_What_!?"  
Alana's hair had always been long and flowing, a physical representation of her magic power. It gave the way she looked an airy feel, and made what type of mage she was easily identifiable. Not only that, but she loved her hair. She took great care in ensuring it grew strong and healthy. Cana was worried she would regret cutting it, but Natsu overheard her and got excited.  
"Yeah! Let's do it!" He shouted, jumping up onto a table, his drink sloshing over the sides of his cup. "Everyone, Alana's gonna cut all her hair!"  
There was one, collective cheer, and Erza brought out a long, thin sword. It was only appropriate the blade-wielder would do the job.  
Alana grinned, tying her hair into a ponytail, making it easier to cut through all at once.  
Everyone's hearts were beating fast, from the alcohol as well as from Alana being on the verge of completely reinventing her physical identity. Alana was shaking from anticipation and nerves, but she trusted Erza and her friends and knew this huge change would only do good for her.  
Before she registered what was happening, she heard the swish of a blade and felt a huge weight lifted from the top of her head.  
Everyone watched as her ponytail dropped, seemingly in slow motion, to the floor, where it landed with a thud.  
And then suddenly, everyone was cheering again, clinking cups together and knocking their drinks back.

Alana's hands went to her hair, now to her chin in a blunt line. She grinned, sighed, and knew this was her new beginning.


	4. Three Long Years

That all was three years ago. Three very long years, since that fateful day that Gildarts left Alana last.

The guild had gone through extreme hardships, like losing Lisanna Strauss, Mirajane and Elfman's little sister, in a terrible mission gone wrong. It hit everyone hard, and being so close to Mirajane, Alana had to try and console the remaining two Take Over siblings as they dealt with such an extreme loss. It was difficult, and only hardened Alana further, having viewed Lisanna as a little sister herself.  
She began caring less, drinking more, and taking on more and more difficult missions as to keep herself busy and not able to let her thoughts catch up to her.  
Cana stood by her, always by her side when she got home from a mission with a glass of her favorite whiskey, and they'd drink until morning. The two became quite well-known for their drunk antics, Cana moreso, as she was always around the guild, while Alana was mostly on the road working.  
One day, though, Alana came home to a disastrous state. Laxus Dreyar, Master Makarov's grandson, had returned, and had waged an all out war against the Fairy Tail guild, trying to take it over. He, Fried Justine, Bixlow, and Evergreen, all incredibly powerful mages in the guild, turned everyone on each other in a demented form of competition to see who was the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail.  
Alana, as an S-Class wizard, was all for competition, but the winds turned cold around her as her anger grew, seeing that the four younger wizards had put the town of Magnolia in danger as a form of blackmail against the guild. As an S-Class mage, Laxus had a responsibility to uphold the safety of the guild and town, and he was disgracing not only the guild but himself by doing otherwise.  
Alana made her way to the guild, where she was met by the master, Natsu, Happy, and another odd-looking man, who's face adorned many piercings.  
When she was told what happened, and saw the girls frozen to stone behind her, which included her best friends, she became absolutely overcome with rage. Makarov, in an attempt to calm her, told her that Erza Scarlet had somehow freed herself from this stone encasing, and was on her way to find Evergreen, the mage who did this to the other girls.

As if on some sort of cue, the runes in front of the entranceway announced that Erza had defeated Evergreen, and all the stone statues shattered, freeing everyone. Having been able to hear through their rocky imprisonment, they all knew exactly what was happening, and decided to go help their friends, going separate ways, as they knew they could all get trapped by Fried's powerful runes that forced everyone inside them to fight each other.  
Alana managed to find Fried Justine in a heated battle with Cana and and Elfman, just at the same time as Mirajane. Cana had been defeated, and Alana went to her aid immediately. She gasped when she saw what Fried was doing to Elfman, and was about to go to his aid when there was a huge gust of air coming from Mirajane's direction, and when she looked, saw that Mira had somehow gotten back her ability to use her Take Over magic. With her Satan's Soul back in action, she proceeded to take Fried on herself, and Alana tended to Elfman, making sure he was still breathing as Cana was. She drew all the strength she could from the wind to transport them all to where she found Mirajane and Fried, both laying on the ground, both having lost the will to fight.  
Fried told them Laxus' ultimate plan, and told Alana where she could find the lightning mage. Mirajane assured her they would all make it back to the guild safely to recover, and Alana used the wind to travel as quickly as she could to Kardia Cathedral, where she took him on alone.  
After a heated battle that left them both breathless, she found the lightning mage to have the upper hand, and was caught off guard by a powerful bolt of lightning, falling to the ground.  
Just as she thought he was about to finish her off, he was stopped by a powerful beam of light, which sent him backwards. Alana stood, looking for the place the light came from.  
Mystogan appeared, taking him on, and was also caught in a bolt of electricity, though he remained strong enough to stand. Laxus asked the two of them which of the three mages they thought was the strongest in Fairy Tail, and Mystogan replied immediately, saying none of them, but Gildarts.  
Alana's heart dropped, immediately paining, but she stood strong, until Laxus looked in her direction. "Gildarts! Alana, you think so as well? You think your old fart boyfriend is stronger than me?"  
Alana gritted her teeth, spitting a fierce "Fuck you" in his direction.  
This took both the other wizards by surprise, as they never heard her speak so profanely.  
They all heard footsteps, and Alana and Mystogan turned back towards the door, seeing Erza and Natsu. Laxus attacked Alana and Mystogan then, electrocuting them both critically, shredding Mystogan's mask.  
Natsu took on Laxus, and with the help of all his friends, eventually won.  
Laxus was banished from Fairy Tail, and many members, including Alana, remained out of commission, in the infirmary, for quite some time.

Once she was completely healed, Alana set back out on an S-Class mission, and wasn't seen again for quite some time.  
When she did come back, she was in a similar state to the one she was in before she left. The mission had taken quite a physical toll on her, and she was left in Mirajane's care so that she could recover from the severe injuries she had taken.  
The morning after she returned, however, made her wish she never came back at all.


	5. The Gildarts Shift

Alana awoke suddenly, hearing bells chiming. Usually, anyone would feel peace waking up to such a calming, beautiful sound, but these bells weren't the average church bells.  
These bells brought a knot to Alana's stomach, and she thought her dinner from the night before was about to make its way back up.  
No, these bells were definitely not the bells she wanted to wake up to.  
These were the bells that alerted the town that it was time to change its formation.  
These were the bells that signalled Gildarts' return.

She heard the flying microphones above Magnolia announce that it is time to activate the Gildarts Shift, and that everyone should get into their positions immediately.  
Alana got into her position: the fetal one, underneath all the covers, with a pillow over her head. Since the rebuild of the guild, she had began living in the women's dorms, as it made it easier to access mission requests, and was less rent than the apartment she was renting before. Unfortunately for her, she spent the night in the infirmary, and the infirmary didn't have soundproof walls like her own room. She could hear the guild's excitement of Gildarts' return downstairs in the main hall.

She heard the sound of the town shifting, as to protect itself from Gildarts' power.  
Unfortunately, when Mystogan said that Gildarts was the strongest of the trio, he was correct. He was Fairy Tail's most powerful mage, aside from the master, and was the guild's Ace. He had a problem with controlling his strength, and would often accidentally destroy parts of the city, just by walking through it, and so they devised this Shift in order to protect the buildings and townspeople.  
Initially, Alana had thought the "Gildarts Shift" to be funny, and looked forward to the clang of loud, erratic bells. But these bells now signified the return of the man she had been trying to erase from her memory for the past three years.  
And judging from the way her heart felt like it was about to burst, from just the thought of him being back, Alana had a bad feeling about what was going to happen, and groaned, hiding deeper under the blankets.

"Alana?"  
The wind mage sighed as she heard her best friend's voice. She poked her heard out from under the blankets, looking at the brunette standing by the bed.  
"Just wanted to make sure you knew he's coming."  
The raven haired woman groaned. "Yes, I know.. I know."  
Cana sat down on the bed by her feet. "You okay about it?"  
"No. Do I look okay?"  
Cana chuckled. She was as nervous to see Gildarts as Alana was, but the wind mage still had no idea that Gildarts was Cana's father. Cana kept her secret her own, and told nobody, not even her best friend. She never even let a hint slip, not even in her drunkest of moments.  
"I'll keep an eye out for you if you wanna slip out the back window or something." Cana suggested, chuckling still. Alana's aversion to seeing Gildarts was slightly comical, as it was the only thing to put the typically cold and calculated woman into such a state of disarray.  
Cana understood why, of course, but she hadn't seen her friend this way in years. It was nice to see she was still the soft girl she once was, even if deep down.  
Even if it did take the man they both wanted to avoid, to do it.  
As much as it disturbed Cana to think about her best friend and her father having been together, they both seemed to be the only ones who could keep each other in check. Without Alana, Gildarts was reckless, selfish, and scatterbrained. Without Gildarts, Alana had been nothing but careless, dark, and distant towards the people she used to be closest to. Cana knew that the only reason Alana was the way she was now was because, deep down, she was absolutely miserable over what happened between her and Gildarts.  
The brunette secretly hoped that perhaps the two could work things out, the charismatic, friendly woman she befriended eight years ago would return, and she'd never have to see this sad side of her again.  
But, this was Fairy Tail; nothing ever went smoothly or the way anyone wanted.

Alana jumped up suddenly, running towards the door, startling Cana.  
"What the hell?" The mage stood, following her friend out the door, wondering what had gotten into her. Was she running to see Gildarts? Was she going to make up with him?  
"Maybe if I get to the Request Board, I can grab a mission and get the hell out of here before he comes in!"

Cana laughed as the green-eyed beauty jumped down stairs at a time, using wind to propel her toward the request board. She had no idea how Alana, with her stomach, left leg, and right arm all bandaged, made it downstairs as fast as she did without being in incredible pain.  
Her laughter was short-lived, however, as the door suddenly burst open, revealing the tall, burly man who was her father.  
His hair was slicked back, and his beard had grown in, stubbly and coarse. His robe was in tatters, and he had a knapsack thrown over his shoulder.  
He walked to the middle of the guild, and approached Mirajane.  
Some people around the guild took notice that he arrived, and began approaching him.  
Cana's eyes darted from Gildarts, to Mirajane, to Alana, who hadn't noticed he entered, and was looking over the board at the back of the guild's main hall for a request.

She heard Gildarts ask where Fairy Tail was, and she rolled her eyes. He really was extremely dense at times; she couldn't believe someone so strong could be so unaware of his surroundings, and that person was her father.  
Mirajane told him that he was standing inside the guild, and that she was Mirajane. He looked at her oddly, not recognizing her, as she did look completely different than when Lisanna died. The one devilish look she had completely left her as she took on a more innocent, sweet look. She giggled, and nodded, confirming that she knew she looked a little different, as did the guild, since it had been rebuilt.  
Suddenly, Natsu, out of nowhere, came jumping down the stairs, excited.  
"Gildarts!" He shouted, "Fight me!"  
Hearing the name, Alana froze.

Gildarts used no strength at all to send him flying to the back of the guild, landing in a heap next to Alana at the request board.  
She looked at Natsu, and turned around, all her surroundings seemingly in slow motion as her eyes met with Gildarts', who's jaw visibly slacked.  
"A - Alana..?"


	6. Self Control

"A - Alana..?"

Gildarts' whole world seemed to stop, the whole guild around them turning into a fog, and all that was clear to him was the woman across the hall.  
She was as shockingly beautiful as ever, even if she did look completely unlike herself. Her eyes were still shockingly green, so bright that he could see them from his distance, but everything else seemed different. Even the air around her had changed.  
Her face was visibly hardened, her posture stiff. Her fists were clenched, and her entire body seemed like she hadn't taken a calm breath in a long time. She was bandaged up, similar to him obviously injured, just as he. He internally laughed at the similarities between them still, even after not seeing each other for three years.  
Her hair, he noticed, was short now: to her chin, a total change from the long hair he used to compliment her on so often.  
She was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

He unintentionally dropped his knapsack to the floor, and the sound brought him back to reality. The people around him came back into view, including Mirajane, standing right in front of him. They looked at him oddly, oblivious as to what had just occured.  
"Gildarts? Are you alright?" she asked, slightly concerned, looking at Alana and understanding what happened. She smiled at him apathetically.  
Gildarts smiled at her, and ran his fingers through his hair, laughing heartily.  
"Sorry 'bout that! Got a little distracted for a minute."

He reminded himself internally that Alana had _left him_, years ago. That was the reason he took on the mission that Master Makarov had been asking him to do for quite some time. A 100-year quest, which was too difficult for anyone, even for him. He understood why it hadn't been completed in over 100 years: the mission had cost him many body parts he would have much rather kept, which was why he had to return home.  
He knew coming home would mean seeing her, and he had amped himself up for this very moment, but obviously he didn't prepare enough, as she still had his hearts in knots, even after leaving him heartbroken and angry years prior.  
He walked over to the bar and ordered himself a drink, mentally ordering himself to ignore the girl he so wanted to approach. He needed to have self control. He thought about the way she broke things off with him, and the anger in the pit of his stomach re-emerged. He had used this anger to motivate him through his most recent mission, and it proved useful, despite him failing. His anger was an instant trigger to his strength, and if he hadn't been fighting a _dragon_, he would have turned whatever else he fought into microscopic dust.

Alana watched as Gildarts made his way to the bar and order himself a drink, then forced herself to look away. She was no longer with this man, she left him, and she had to do her best to continue living as if he weren't even there.  
She grabbed a flier for a simple, in-town mission and made her way out the front door.


	7. The Necklace

Alana finished her mission just as night fell, and she made her way back to the guild. She sighed, relieved, when she entered and didn't see Gildarts.  
Everyone greeted her, and she waved as she walked quickly through the guild to the stairs. During her mission she realized she didn't have the necklace she typically wore on her. She assumed had left her necklace in the infirmary, on the table beside the bed she slept in. She was feeling a bit panicked, as she always wore the necklace, and couldn't even believe she had forgotten it in the first place, but forgave herself, as her thoughts were scattered that morning with the return of Gildarts.  
She used her winds to propel her up the stairs, and jogged to the infirmary doors.  
The sight she ran into froze her in the middle of the doorway.

Mirajane was there, helping bandage the stomach of none other than the man she had left the guild to avoid: Gildarts.  
Hearing Alana's entrance, the two both looked, and Mirajane's eyes darted between the two, before she tried excusing herself.  
"Mira, no, it's fine," Alana tried to get her to stay, as she knew what her fair-skinned friend was up to. Mira smiled at her in an attempt to look innocent, and Alana grabbed her wrist.  
"Do _not _leave me alone with him." Alana muttered, not knowing Gildarts heard her. He huffed, clearing his throat, and stood. Alana's grip slackened, and Mira took her arm back.  
"It's okay Mirajane, you may go," he said, looking Alana straight in the eyes, with a cold look of his own, "I'll finish myself up."  
Mirajane slipped out of the infirmary as quickly as she could, and then it was just the two ex-lovers, alone.  
Alana stood, not knowing what to say, and just watched as Gildarts finished bandaging his stomach. She took in the sight of the man in front of her, the body that her hands once roamed blissfully. His chest was broader, with large, stitched gashes strewn about, his Fairy Tail stamp sported proudly over his heart. His muscles were larger. He looked more toned, more mature. She would have drooled if she didn't then notice what had happened to the rest of him. Before, she just disregarded him as extremely bandaged up, but she was mistaken.  
One of his arms was almost completely gone. From his left elbow down, instead of skin, there was a makeshift, wooden prosthetic arm. Alana felt herself soften, and stepped forward, wanting to immediately go to the man's aid.

"I found this, figured I'd bring it to you." He said brashly, and from his pocket pulled the necklace she had been looking for so desperately. He handed it to her softly, their hands grazing slightly, causing Alana to flinch. She hadn't felt an ounce of his touch in three years; had tried desperately to forget it, yet it still haunted her dreams. But feeling his hand in reality was much different than any dream, and she supressed the longing she felt for more.  
"Gildarts, are you-" she went to ask about his well-being, but he cut her off quickly.  
"Mirajane says you still wear it, every day." He half-smiled, but quickly replaced it with a cold expression. "You should keep a better eye on your belongings."  
And with that he walked by her, his arm brushing her side roughly, and left.  
Alana bit her lip as hard as she could in attempt to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.  
She opened her hand, looking down at the necklace she held, and swallowed hard.  
Her teeth penetrated her skin, and she could taste the blood she accidentally drew, feeling defeated, as she couldn't stop the tears as they fell.  
She had intended to stop wearing the necklace, to throw it away, but for some reason she just couldn't do it.  
The chain was pure gold, with a pendant in the middle. The pendant itself held small magic power within it, and took the physical form of Gildarts' white magic aura, flowing in a large, beautiful spiral.  
Alana's thoughts went back to when he first gave it to her.  
_"You better always wear this," he had said as he clasped the necklace around her neck, "it was damn expensive, you know."_  
She laughed at the memory, but it came out more like a half choke, half sob, than a laugh.  
Despite the fact that she tried so hard to keep him out of her mind, she couldn't. She hated him, but he was still her soft spot. Even though she had broken things off with him, she couldn't bring herself to dispose of that necklace.

She wiped her eyes in a rush when she heard someone clear their throat. She sniffled, trying to erase evidence of her crying. She wouldn't let anyone see her in a moment of weakness like that. The air around her cooled in response to her quick change in emotions.  
"Don't worry Killer," She turned quickly, seeing Cana walk in, "it's just me. I already know you're still human."  
Alana shook her head, wiping her eyes again. "Fuck you," she said sarcastically, and Cana rolled her eyes.  
"You don't have to act so guarded, you know," the brunette said, pushing her long hair behind her shoulder, taking the necklace from her closest friend. She pushed the short black hair aside, and put Alana's necklace back on for her. "It's okay to let your walls down. We're all family, no one's gonna do anything but be there for you."  
Alana sighed, sitting on the bed Gildarts so recently occupied. "You don't get it, Cana."  
The card magic mage raised a dainty eyebrow. "Oh? I don't get what?"

The air around Alana became easier to breathe in, and her eyes became moist again.  
"Gildarts.. I still love him, Cana."  
"So?" Cana crossed her arms. "Go back up and be all gross sappy with each other again."  
Alana shook her head, and tried explaining things as easily as she could to the younger girl.  
"I'm twenty-eight now, see? That almost thirty. I know you see how many missions I go on; think about how much money I've saved. But what do I have to show for that? I live in my guild and when I had a boyfriend, he was never around. He didn't care that I wanted more than just sex," Cana gagged at this, "and a fun time when he came home. He didn't care that I wanted more than that."  
"But you knew what he was like," Cana said, confused. "You knew he always left. How can you get mad at him when you knew what you were getting yourself into?"  
Alana smiled, knowing that was where she and Cana were different. Cana sat down next to her, and crawled up onto the bed, crossing her legs. Alana did the same, and they face each other.  
Alana sighed, nodding. "Yeah, you're right." She shrugged. "I guess I just hoped that he'd stop after a while."  
"His wife left him for the same reason, you know," Cana said, "'Cus he wouldn't stop working and commit to her."

Alana shifted, uncomfortable. Gildarts told her about his marriage before; that he had only been in true love once, with his ex-wife, Cornelia. It made the air around the then-23-year-old turn ice cold. They had been seeing each other for quite a few years at that point, and he figured it was appropriate to let her know that he had once been in an extremely serious relationship.  
It made her jealous, absolutely. She had given up the chance to play the field during her prime in order to be faithful to a man who had been around the block quite a few times, and she had to face the fact that she had no chance of being his first true love.  
After hearing him tell her why his wife left him, she made it her mission to be the woman who could get him to settle down. She wanted to be someone special to him, and if he commited to her, that would mean she was special.  
But he did the same thing to her as he did to all the others, including the woman he married, and she wouldn't let herself be made a fool.

"I wanted to be something she wasn't." She admitted, and Cana's eyebrows shot up.  
"I wanted to prove I could do what even the woman he loved couldn't do."  
Cana shook her head, feeling defensive of her mother, but not wanting to reveal herself.  
"It's not a battle to see who's better."  
Alana rolled her eyes, standing. "Let me know when you find yourself in the same situation as me, then try and tell me how to go about my business."  
She made her way to the door, and looked back at the brunette still on the bed.  
"You know, up until now, all you did was talk trash about my relationship with Gildarts. Now all you do is defend him and tell me I asked for this."  
She felt her eyes get wet again. "I left the man I love because he'll never love me back. Why would I ask for that?"  
The look in her eyes before she walked out broke Cana's heart. She knew then that something had to be done, but she just didn't know what.


	8. Edolas Gildarts

**A/N:**  
**Hi guys! I'm a bit into the story now, so I figured it's about time I said hi and got a little bit more personal with you guys.**  
**I've been into Fairy Tail for quite some time now, and I'm not seeing much Gildarts love here! I'm not big into shipping anyone who isn't quite obvious, so I typically make up OCs to pair them with. I hope you guys are enjoying this story! I know there was an awkward chapter four, with the three-year summary. I tried to keep Alana present within the guild, as that's how I'd prefer her, rather than skipping a whole three years and slapping you with a suddenly hardened Alana with no reason! So hopefully you guys didn't mind that bit. **  
**But AH! I've had the idea for Alana in my head for so long (took me a while to figure out what magic she'd have), and I promise we'll get more into her in the near future - we're just catching up to current time here. **

**I'm obviously not going to have any Edolas chapters, as you can easily assume she was just part of the lacrima with no recollection of being turned into a lacrima. **  
**This chapter takes place at the end of the Edolas Arc, after everything is returned to normal in Earthland. Just for reference, italics are a flashback.**  
**Enjoy you guys, and thanks for your support!**  
**xoxo**

* * *

The whole guild was sent reeling after finding out they spent days as a lacrima in a completely other parallel world called Edolas. Everyone sat in the main hall, drinking, celebrating Earthland Lisanna's return, because apparently she wasn't dead at all. The Anima from Edolas had absorbed her in an attempt to replace their own dead Lisanna, but she was returned with everyone else when they were sent back home with the guild, and all of Magnolia. Everyone made it a point to come and celebrate, including Gildarts and Alana. It was uncomfortable, but they ignored each other for Lisanna's sake.  
Alana was never so happy to see someone in her life, and held Lisanna and her siblings as they cried. Finding out someone she saw as a little sister wasn't really dead was crazy, but it melted her frozen her heart ever so slightly.  
Natsu was going over what everyone's Edolas counterparts were like, and everyone wanted to know what another version of them was like. Jet and Droy were apparently the strongest wizards in the guild, and Nab was constantly working. Natsu told Cana she dressed like a young girl, completely modest, was very quiet and polite, and refused alcohol. Cana laughed at this, downing the rest of her drink.  
Gildarts, from the bar, asked what he was like, and Natsu's eyes got very large. "You were the guild Master!" He got very awkward then, and looked at Alana with furrowed eyebrows. "And married to Alana."  
Gildarts' face became completely serious, and the guild became completely silent.  
Cana poured herself another drink, and immediately finished it off.  
Alana forced a laugh. "I wish I could've seen everyone opposite counterparts! Everyone there seems so unlike everyone here."  
"Yeah!" Natsu said, touching the back of his head, smiling. "You guys were all lovey-dovey and stuff. Like the mom and dad of Fairy Tail! You guys took care of everybody."  
Cana looked at Gildarts, who had a thoroughly sullen look on his face. She knew that must have been awkward for him, and she poured him a drink, sliding it down the bar to him. He looked at her, nodding appreciatively. He figured she knew what was going on, as he knew she was close with Alana, but he didn't expect her to have any empathy for him.  
He watched as she poured a large glass of whiskey for Alana. Whiskey had always been the raven-haired beauty's favorite, and they used to ever so often top off a bottle before having a thrilling, passionate night together.  
He was proud of Cana for caring about both ends of the spectrum in this situation. She had definitely grown into an incredible girl. He always did see her as a daughter figure, looking after her and advising her when he'd come home from missions. She always knew what was going on between him and Alana, and she never passed judgement on either of them.  
He smiled, feeling warm by the kindness of the younger mages of his guild. He had so much faith in them.  
Cana brought the drink the Alana, who downed it, causing Gildarts to smirk. She never was one to waste time, no matter what she was doing. Whether it was completing a mission or just cleaning the house, she always had to do it quickly like a gust of wind. He always liked that about the emerald-eyed woman; she was always swift and determined in all her endeavors. Even when they first met, when she was just 18, practically a child, she never beat around the bush.

_He had just come home from a mission. It was a difficult one, taking him a year to complete. He came back slightly injured, but nothing serious: just a popped shoulder, nothing that couldn't be fixed up quickly. He sat down at the bar, but didn't even get time to order a drink._  
_Natsu greeted him by asking for a fight, to which Gildarts sent him into the floorboards, telling him that next time he expected at least a "hello"._  
_"Hello." He then heard, and he turned to the girl behind the counter. _  
_His jaw dropped as soon as he saw her. She was average height, yes, but that wasn't what was so spectacular about her. Her eyes were the deepest green he had every seen, like the color of grass in the middle of spring after a decent rainfall. Her hair was long, elegant, and luminous, flowing beautifully from the light breeze that surrounded her. _  
_He felt the warmth of the air that engulfed the dainty girl in front of him, and she smiled mischieviously, looking up at him through her eyelashes._  
_"I figure I'd start off on the right foot and give you the welcome home you'd like."_  
_"Well if that's what you're aiming to do, I'll show you to my bedroom." He smirked, and she countered his perverse flirting with her own._  
_"You should probably loosen up first," she poured him a glass of whiskey without him asking, "don't want you putting out your back trying to keep up with me."_  
_After a few drinks, and hours of fun conversation (including poking fun at him for having so little self-control that the whole town changes shape for him to walk through it), she told him she had no intention of sleeping with him, and he told her he wouldn't dare tarnish such a great connection by throwing it away with a one-night stand. _  
_He took her out to dinner every night that week, ending their nights with a glass of whiskey at the bar before going their separate ways. _

_He took a mission at the end of that week, and she didn't see him for seven months._  
_When he got back, she had a bottle of their favorite whiskey ready, and he spent hours telling her about what he had been doing out on the road._  
_Natsu came over, expecting a gift, which Gildarts usually had for the young boy. This time, he gave the dragon slayer a flame in a far from a distant land, and after the younger boy left, she pouted playfully._  
_"Nothing for me?" she joked, and he smirked, pulling from behind him the largest bouquet of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen, bringing tears to her eyes._  
_They slept together that night for the first time, and he knew then he'd never let this perfect woman go._

He wondered how they got from that to this. She left him, out of nowhere. Seven years together and she dropped him like it had all meant nothing to her. All the things he did for her, all the lavish gifts he brought home from his many journeys, disregarded because she wanted him to stay put in Magnolia.

It wasn't that he didn't care about her, because he did, and having spent three years knowing he left on a bad foot bothered him throughout his mission. But he was also angry, as he hadn't done anything wrong. He proved time and time again that he was faithful to Alana and she chose to ignore all the things he did, and focused on the things he wasn't doing.  
He growled thinking about it. So his Edolas counterpart was married to the woman, and they were viewed as the caretakers of the the entire guild. Sure, he loved this guild, and looked over all the younger kids, but no way would he consider himself a father figure. And, to think that he was also the Master. _Master Gildarts?_ What an incredibly funny thought to him.  
He shook his head, getting up to leave. The fact that his complete opposite counterpart was married should be an eye opener to the woman watching him walk out the front door, that he just wasn't the stay-at-home type of man.


	9. Training Grounds

**A/N:**  
**Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed that last chapter. A little flashback to how Alana and Gildarts started seeing each other. I do intend on putting more flashbacks, as a way to see into Alana and Gildarts' relationship's past, so I hope you guys keep reading and loving this story like I do!**

**xoxo**  
**-**

Master Makarov gathered the S-Class mages of Fairy Tail, as well as Gildarts, to let them know that the S-Class Trials were going to begin soon, and that he planned on involving all four of them. He explained his plan, that there would be eight participants this year, and they all would choose a partner. They would begin by choosing one of eight cave entrances on Tenrou Island, and that there would be five different path results. One team would encounter either Gildarts, Mira, or Erza. One team would have to fight each other, one team would get lucky and choose a "silent" path, where they encountered no one and got a free ride to the next challenge. And the last two teams would choose Alana's path.  
The two teams that faced Alana had to combat her powerful winds, which would be strengthened not only by the magic of Tenrou Island, but because she could control the ocean's wind currents. Whoever could make their way past her winds first would be able to continue in the Trials.  
All the mages were extremely excited, and their excitement boiled over to the younger wizards of Fairy Tail. Everyone went out on a ton of missions, and tried their hardest to be chosen as candidates for the S-Class Trials.  
The night came when Master Makarov and the S-Class wizards stepped out on stage and announced who would be in the running to be an S-Class wizard this year: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Elfman, Levy McGarden, Mest Gryder, Freed Justine, and Cana Alberona.  
Alana had to remain composed, not showing favoritism, when she heard Cana's name. This would be the fifth time she would participate in the exams, and Alana secretly hoped she would win.  
Everyone was alive with the excitement of the Trials coming up, and the guild became a huge party. Everyone, that is, except Cana.  
She seemed distant, and Alana understood why. She had already failed the S-Class Trials four times, and felt like she'd never pass. Alana had a lot of faith in the younger girl, but she seemed to have no faith in herself.  
Alana wished she could be Cana's partner, but since she was an S-Class herself, she wasn't allowed to be anyone's partner. She wasn't even allowed to go easy on Cana if Cana chose the path that ended in a battle with Alana's winds, even though she desperately wanted to.  
Cana had a ton of heart, and the will to match. She, unfortunately, just got consistently put up against people who could utilize their magic with a little more power than she could.  
It wasn't her fault, and card magic suited her perfectly. She learned the tarot at a very young age and read tons of people's fortunes at the guild. But card magic wasn't incredibly offensive, and that was where Cana seemed to falter against others, like Erza or Mirajane. Their magic was about brute strength, instead of strategy and thought, like card magic was, and so it was easy for Cana to get overwhelmed and overlooked.  
Alana admired the girl for staying strong, and standing by her magic. She was incredibly smart and talented at the magic she had, and that was truly all that mattered. The S-Class title was simply that, just a title, but for some reason it was so important to Cana.  
Cana spent a lot of time alone in her room, and Alana let her have some time to herself, as she needed some as well. It was now mid-December, the weather was getting cold, her favorite, as the winds were extremely fun and boisterous this time of year. She dressed appropriately, putting on a pair of warm, black pants, a white knitted sweater, and knee-high brown riding boots. She threw a black scarf around her neck, adjusting her necklace beneath it. She walked out of the guild into the night, ready to let loose a little on her own.  
-

Alana lived for winter weather; the apparel, the winds, the snow.. everything about winter was exciting to her. But, she still had yet to ride winds during a snowstorm, and one had quickly turned up out of nowhere.  
She was unfortunately nowhere near the guild, so she had to land somewhere close as soon as she could. Luckily, she was close to her old sparring grounds. She landed, standing under a tree, watching the snow whip around in the wind, and it excited her. The lights of Magnolia were bright and twinkling from the hill she stood upon. These grounds were always a great place for sight-seeing.  
Green eyes closed as the woman sighed, thinking about all that had occured on these sparring grounds in the past years. She used to share them with Gildarts, and they used to train together. She showed him how she rode winds here, and took him with her on a a short glide. His armor was too heavy for her to carry with the winds.

_"You don't have to use the wind as an excuse to ask me to take my clothes off." Gildarts smirked, and Alana smirked right back at him._  
_"Have I ever made up an excuse to get you nude?" The young girl shot back, grabbing the man's collar to bring his face to her's in a kiss, his stubbly beard tickling her chin. _  
_She giggled, pulling away, and smiled at him genuinely. He looked down at her, his arm around his shoulder, and wondered how he managed to get so lucky. Every God in the sky must have been looking out for him by sending him such a blessing after losing Cornelia._  
_He leaned down, kissing her again, more passionate this time. It wasn't long after that that they both found a reason to get each other nude. _

Alana sighed at the memory and smiled, squeezing the pendant of her necklace fondly. She turned, walking toward a cave she knew wasn't too far away, to seek solace from the blizzard that was picking up.  
And that was when she froze in place, because she realized she was being watched that whole time.

There he was, the man she was just thinking about, the man who she once shared these exact training grounds with.  
He had his cloak wrapped around him, and was obviously shivering. Alana couldn't help but chuckle at him. He was always such a big baby when it came to cold weather.  
He shrugged, knowing that he was caught, not only watching her, but also falling victim to the cold winds of winter.  
He always did hate the winter, cold and wet. How could anybody like such a miserable season?  
Alana shrugged back, but neither of them knew what to do. Alana refused to move because why should she? He was the one who was watching her, he should be the first to say something.  
Gildarts wasn't moving because he just flat out had no idea how to approach her. What could he possibly say? Any of the possible million speeches he had prepared just didn't seem good enough now. Would he apologize? Would he tell her how he still couldn't get her out of his mind? How she's still the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and as he watched her standing there on the hill, he thought about all the times he made her body his in that exact spot under that tree? Would he tell her how badly he wanted to do it again in this exact moment?  
He shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his mind. He didn't know what to say, or what to do at all.  
So he pulled the whiskey bottle out of his pocket and nodded toward the cave, letting her know he wanted her to follow.  
"A little too cold out here for my liking." He shouted to her over the freezing winds, and made his way to the cave.

The cave was set up like a small hut, with a table and chairs near the back, away from the outside. Gildarts sat in one of the chairs, hands on the table, around the bottle. He held the bottle of whiskey tight, nervous as to whether or not she'd actually come.  
He hoped she would, but at the same time, why would she? They had ended things on such a sour note, and he left so hastily..  
He heard the footsteps of her boots and looked up, smiling.  
She actually came.  
-

She couldn't believe she joined him, but the weather was too bad to walk home. She sat down and he opened the bottle of whiskey, taking a swig.  
Gildarts slowly brought the bottle up, handing it to her. He didn't really know what he was doing, or what he even expected to come of this, but anything was better than where they were at now. Looking at her even from across the guild hall pained him, because he didn't know where she was going when she walked out the front door. She didn't want anything to do with him anymore, and made no attempt to tell him otherwise. They went from telling each other every little detail about their day to not even looking at each other as they passed.  
It had been three years; a long time. He hadn't heard from anyone, but he wondered nervously if she had started seeing anyone else.  
He almost immediately scolded himself mentally. Why did he even care if she was seeing anyone? She left him, not the other way around. If she wanted to be with someone else, then so be it.  
For some reason, still, the thought of it brought a weight to his chest. He had spent seven years with the woman in front of him, and in the three years after she broke things off between them he still hadn't been with anyone else, not once. For some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her voice out of the back of his mind anytime a woman invited him home. No one else was good enough; no one else was Alana.  
He let out the breath he wasn't even aware he was holding when she took the bottle into her own hand.

Alana had no idea what she was doing. Why had she taken the bottle from Gildarts? They were no longer together, and she should want nothing to do with him. He broke her heart and couldn't have cared less, leaving without even a second question. Gone for three years, and now he's back, and she had already given in, sitting with him in the cave they'd spent countless beautiful nights in. Not that it mattered, because none of the happy memories they had made up for the fact that he just didn't love her. He didn't want to commit to her, and start a life with her. Three years of denial, hoping secretly that he'd come back and beg for her to forgive him. Three years of loneliness and despair. Three years, and even though she had left him, she still wanted no one else.  
She lifted the bottle to her lips and drank deeply, letting the liquid burn her throat on the way down. The heat got to her stomach and her face at the same time, warming her, which brought a small smile to her face. She loved what whiskey did to her.

Gildarts smiled, as it had been so long since he got to have a moment like this with her, even if it was an awkward one. She passed the bottle back to him, and he drank, and they continued until the bottle was empty. Alana watched curiously as he got up and returned with another.  
He sat down and opened the bottle, handing it to her, letting her have the first drink this time. She accepted, and closed her eyes as she felt the alcohol getting to her head.  
"So," he figured, if he was going to do anything, he might as well start talking to her, "this year's S-Class Trials sound exciting."  
Alana nodded, not really knowing what to say.  
Gildarts accepted this, and kept talking. "I feel bad for the poor kids that have to deal with you and your winds."  
The corners of the woman's eyes crinkled in a smile she couldn't supress. "I feel bad for the one who's going to get demolished by you."  
Gildarts shook his head, his hair moving side to side. "That's not true, you know I don't have to go all out to pass them."  
"Oh yeah?" The dainty girl rested her chin in her palms, her elbows propping her up on the table. Her face was plastered with a drunken grin.  
"And you think you can hold back during a battle?"  
"Of course I can."  
She giggled, so unlike her. "Are you kidding? Our entire town goes into a frenzy whenever you come home. It _changes shape_ so you don't destroy buildings!"  
She passed the bottle back, he drank, and handed it back to her.  
"Sometimes I just don't know how to hold back. You know that better than anyone."  
He laughed, "But it doesn't always help me out." He put his new, metal prosthetic arm up on the table, which prompted Alana to ask what happened. He was the strongest man she knew, and seeing him so damaged and worn out made her realize how serious the mission he took must have been.  
"A dragon." He said, and her eyes bulged out of her head.  
He told her the story of how he encountered Acnologia, a black dragon that tore him to bits.  
"My arm, my leg, internal organs, they're all messed up." He said. "I'm lucky I made it back here, you know?" He gave the bottle back to her, and she drank.  
Alana nodded, and not registering what she was doing, reached out and touched the arm.  
His metal fingers extended, touching hers, which caused her to draw back.  
Startled, the bottle slipped, and she was about to drop it when his whole hand grabbed it, along with her hand. Their eyes met, and locked.  
Gildarts' mouth suddenly became very dry. He didn't know what to do.  
Alana's heart felt like it was about to burst. Why was it he still made her feel this way? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Why was it, no matter how hard she tried, he still had a hold on her? She wished that whatever feelings she had harboring for him would just leave her be, because it wasn't fair. She wanted commitment, but she wouldn't have anyone else but him, and he wouldn't commit to her.

Suddenly, she stood, looking away and pulling her hand from his.  
"I have to go.. it's late."  
She began walking but stumbled, and prepared herself to fall face-first onto the hard cave floor, but instead she landed in the two safest arms she ever knew.  
She felt his new, metal prosthetic arm underneath her skin, cold from the temperature.  
Gildarts looked at her staring at his arm and removed himself from her, apologizing.  
"It's a bit unnerving, I know." He stepped back.  
"No, it isn't that," she shook her head. They both looked at each other, a look in their eyes as if they both wanted to say something to each other. He was getting lost in her deep emeralds again when she finally broke the silence.  
"I have go." Alana went to walk around him and stumbled again, not realizing how much the alcohol had really taken a toll on her. She could barely walk, but she couldn't stay here, not with him. She straightened her back and began walking again, and made it outside to the tree on the hill.  
She just spent hours drinking with the man she left years ago, and the entire time all she wanted to do was forgive him, but she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself be used by him any longer, she couldn't do that to herself. She deserved more.  
She looked down at the lights twinkling in Magnolia as she pushed on, trying not to slip in the snow. She tried using the winds to balance her, but she had a lot of alcohol and her judgement was a bit off. She tried to push the thoughts of Gildarts looking at her away, but her drunken mind bringing memories of her relationship with that man back to the forefront of her mind.

Like the night that marked that they'd been together for five years..  
_They sat across from each other at their favorite restaurant in Magnolia. They had just finished eating when he cleared his throat, catching her attention._  
_"So I, uh, got you something." He said, running his hand through his hair. Alana's heart stopped, nervous as all hell. He got her something on their five year anniversary?_  
_He pulled the rectangular box out of his pocket and held it over the table, opening it. _  
_Inside was the most beautiful necklace the wind magic made had ever seen. The chain was made entirely of gold, and in the middle was the most exquisite pendant she had ever seen. Inside was what looked like magic aura, entirely white, swirling all around in a gorgeous circle. _  
_Her hand flew to her mouth. "Gil.."_  
_A corner of his mouth went up in a half smirk proudly. "You deserve it. Five years, it's a long time to put up with someone like me." He got up, and she pulled her hair to the side so that he could put the necklace on her. "You better always wear this," he had said as he clasped the necklace around her neck, "it was damn expensive, you know."_  
_Alana laughed lightly, feeling magic power flow into her from the necklace itself, like a piece of Gildarts became one with her own magical aura. She knew then she'd never take the necklace off. _

She sighed, squeezing the pendant of her necklace, when she heard her name. She turned, and there he was, standing so close to her she could smell him.  
She breathed in deep, revelling in his scent, something she had missed so much these past three horrendously long years.  
His breath was slow and heavy, and all he could do was stare down at her.  
She looked up at him through her eyelashes, and he couldn't stand it anymore.  
Three years wanting nothing more than the woman standing in front of him, and he seized the moment.  
He grabbed her by the cheeks and kissed her.


End file.
